Sooloos intros $7,900 Ensemble music management system

Not much has changed about the 17-inch Sooloos Control:One touchpanel you see above, but what is different about the newly announced Ensemble System is the lowered barrier to entry. Sure, the kit still demands a stuff $7,900, but that nets you the aforementioned screen and the combined storage / playback Ensemble server. In other words, this neat little package includes everything you need to digitize your CD collection and integrate it into your current home entertainment setup. The server itself includes an optical drive and USB port for importing tunes, 1TB of storage space and compatibility with other control systems including Crestron remotes and Apple's iPod touch / iPhone. Full release is after the break.

ENSEMBLE SYSTEM PROVIDES LOWEST-COST ENTRY TO SOOLOOS UNIVERSE YET

With Sooloos' simple, intuitive touchscreen interface and incredible ease of use, consumers can interact with their entire CD and MP3 audio collections like never before.

New York – November 24, 2008 – Sooloos today announced that the cost of entry to its unparalleled digital music management and playback system is now lower than ever before. The Sooloos Ensemble System, which consists of the combined storage/playback Ensemble server and Sooloos' incredible Control:One touch screen interface, provides everything you'll need to make your entire digital music collection easier to access and enjoy with family and friends.

The Sooloos Ensemble System, priced at $7,900 and now shipping, is the least expensive complete Sooloos system yet delivered. Previously, Sooloos required separate, more costly components for storage and playback. While Sooloos still offers these more flexible, higher-capacity units for its higher-end systems, the Ensemble server is its first to combine storage and playback into a single piece of hardware. Rounding out the system is the Sooloos Control:One, a 17-inch, commercial-grade touch screen with a USB port for uploading digital files and a CD tray for uploading music from pre-purchased discs to the Ensemble server.

Once a collection is saved on the server, the Control:One provides an unmatched user experience. No keyboard is required. At the simple touch of a finger, users can browse through their entire music collections, complete with cover art and a wealth of related data, by artist, alphabetical order, genre, release date and a number of other options.

The Sooloos Ensemble Server holds up to a terabyte of imported audio and metadata information (cover art, production credits, reviews and much more). To put this storage space into perspective, the Ensemble server can hold 2,400 full albums both in full-resolution FLAC/Free Lossless Audio Codec (for playback through high-quality home entertainment equipment such as stereo systems) and 192k MP3 (for use on the go with iPod or other portable players) formats. The server also acts as a distribution hub, capable of sending music to up to four zones throughout a house.

Backup of your Sooloos collection is accomplished with one touch through a PC-based application that backs up your media files to a hard drive attached to your computer. The user also has the option of loading files to the Sooloos Ensemble System from a PC. In addition to the primary Control:One device, the Sooloos Ensemble System also can be controlled by third-party home automation systems such as Crestron, as well as Apple's iPhone or iPod touch.